3.17 Corrupted

Deaver - “She needs to find her soul.”
Chase - “That sounds complicated. When did she see it last?”

Chase - “Dr. Van Garren.”
Nikki - “Can I see him?”
Chase - “Sure. He’s good at sparks.”

 Nikki – “Fi-es-TA!”

 Deaver - “Ok, we might have sangria. She might mix it in a baseball helmet...”

 PG Rive - “Quick, the berserker’s coming. Take off your pants!”

 Odd werewolf hunter - “Only way to make sure you aren’t a werewolf – put this silver bullet in ya, and see how ya bleed.”
Stefan - “(Pause) Ok, but try to put it through the left arm…?”

 Bryant the teenage Boy Scout - “I was camping by myself – that’s one of the things you have to do to earn a merit badge.”
Stefan - “I see. Well….are you AN IDIOT?!”

 Nathaniel - “There’s a trail heading off in this direction.”
Chase - “You mean the big hole in the trees over there?”
Nathaniel - “...Yes.”

 PG Rive – “You just abandoned a 16-year-old Boy Scout?”
PG Nathaniel – “Hey, he just earned his Wolf badge.”

 Rive (to demon-poacher re: the werewolf boy scout) - “He’s just a boy! Why am I even arguing with you? Shut up! You’re in a cage!”

 Chase - “That was St. Saul. He called us ‘sinful meat’.”
Deaver - “I know.”
Chase - “I mean, I guess I’m ok with the ‘sinful’ part, but MEAT?”

A few days after the Berzerker's defeat, Nathaniel moved into a room in the Boyd-Townsend manor. With Deaver, Brandon, Nathaniel, and a still-crazed Nikki living there, it's quite the interesting place.

Everyone gets a general invite to a party at Geoff's place, hosted by Simone, to celebrate his release from the hospital.

* * *

Nikki sits tailor-style on the bed in Deaver's bedroom, which he's unoccupied for the time being, staring at the wall.

Nikki sits tailor-style in a moonlit forest. Loose flowers float around her head while a breeze gently plays with the ends of her hair.

There's the sound of a door opening, and the flowers float to the ground. She looks up from her spot on the bed and sees Deaver. He tries to talk to her. She desperately attempts to focus and respond, but with limited success.

Deaver pulls out his phone and calls Chase - he needs a Spanish speaker. He quickly explains to her that he received an email from Giles in London, and that when Nikki talks about her "spark," she's referring to her soul. Chase arrives, and they start trying to get something that makes sense out of Nikki. They latch onto anything that might jog her memory. When asked point-blank where her soul is, she starts slowly putting things together. She talks about a fiesta, and they ask if she means Geoff's party. Nikki remembers the chemist and hurriedly tells them that what happened to him wasn't part of the plan and that Strella shouldn't have done that to him. She was just jealous. She would like to see him. So Deaver calls Geoff and gives him the lowdown on Nikki's reemergence and that she's asking about him. He tells them he'd love to see her and asks them to bring her to the party. Delighted at the thought of a "fiesta," Nikki runs to look for some nicer clothes ... and make some of her famous sangria.

* * *

At the party, Geoff is the (slightly uncomfortable) center of attention at a very nice little fete. He's having a good time, and it's a diverse group of folks. Simone has spruced up the place and put out an impressive spread.

Rive stands rooted by the wall, and overhears Rachel in a heated discussion with Rowan. Spotting Rive, Rachel drags her over to the conversation. Apparently Cernunnos' Grove is considering negotiating a peace treaty with the Daughters of Hecate. Rachel thinks this is a phenomenally BAD idea, and asks Rive to back her up (which she does). Rowan tells Rachel to bring her concerns to the table at the Esbat tonight. She also invites Rive to the meeting. With the admonishment that not all things are black and white, Rowan excuses herself to go talk to Geoff.

Rachel tells Rive the other reason why she's edgy. Stefan's hasn't appeared yet. "Not because, you know, I need to hear his voice or anything, but most people's boyfriends don't spend large quantities of time fighting for their lives against supernatural powers while under a death mark from a centuries old vampire clan." Rive doesn't tell her that things were mysteriously quiet on patrol last night, in that too quiet, trouble-brewing kind of way.

Deaver, Chase, a dazzling Nikki and a sober but well-dressed Nathaniel all make their entrance. Nathaniel joins Rive by the table, where she starts trying to explain the concept of buffalo wings. Nikki immediately twirls around and cries out "There's a ghost!" delightedly. Chase quickly explains that his name is Freddie and he's not invited to the party, so if she wants to meet him, she'll have to go to the back of the house. She takes off, with Deaver in pursuit. Chase gets one look at Rachel's disgruntled expression and goes to soothe her frazzled roommate.

* * *

Rowan works her way over to Geoff. "Hey."

He smiles at her from his spot on the sofa. "Hey! Thanks for coming."

"Oh, this is great! Interesting people. But I have to admit to an additional motive, other than fun." Geoff looks at her, curious. She pulls out a vial of clear liquid. "Now, you have to promise me not to look at it until your party's over, OK?"

Geoff examines the vial more intently. "OK. What is it?"

"Uh... well, it isn't what it is. Well, not yet. It's what's in it."

"What's in it?"

"I don't know. That's what I want you to do for me."

"How do you know there's something in it?"

She gives him that "Because I'm a psychic magic-user, idiot" look. "I... just... know."

"OK then. I'll check it out. Where'd you get it?"

"Tell me what's in it, and I'll tell you where I got it." She smiles at him apologetically. "Sorry to be vague. But I, uh, well, in case I'm wrong, I don't want anyone to stress. Sometimes I'm wrong." She hands him the vial. He looks very confused, but nods an agreement. "Now put it away."

Before he can ask anything else, they're interrupted by Nikki. She holds out both hands to him with a smile. "Bailar?" Geoff smiles at her, stands up and hugs her. "Nikki! I'm a little creaky, but I'd be... god, I'd be honored." She doesn't seem completely with it, but she pulls him onto the dance floor. She waves her hand at the stereo, and the music suddenly changes to something Latin and irresistible.

Simone watches them dancing as she makes her way over to Chase. "Who's that?" Chase gives Simone a long distance introduction to Nikki, who keeps sneaking glances at Deaver while she's dancing with Geoff. Simone focuses on Chase, and offers her good luck at her upcoming residency interview in San Diego. She hopes it goes really, really well. She then gets to what's really on her mind.

"I want Geoff to be happy. Problem is, unlike us, he has some nagging faith in true love or some other higher concepts like that. I think you and I both know that fairy tale love is a fiction not worth holding your breath for.

"Geoff and I are a good team. We're both intelligent professionals who take our work seriously. We get along. We trust each other. We both understand that magic is real, but we don't bother ourselves too much with heaven or hell. Everything I should've looked for in my first marriage and didn't.

"Now, I tell you this not because it's any of your business but because, as I said, I want Geoff to be happy. And while I think I know what's good for him, he needs to be happy his own way. Look, I know you were staying with Geoff because, let's face it, McKennit is sparse pickings where men are concerned. And if something equal but different had come along, you would've moved along. But Geoff seems to think you two were in love. If Geoff sees in you something that I don't, you're running out of time. The world is ending, and I plan on getting rid of my damn last name before that happens. If I do understand you, it's better that you go so Geoff can stop hoping. Maybe The Alumni will save sunny Cal for last.

"I've been honest with you. My only request is that you don't take him back just because you think you can. If you want Geoff back, marry him. Have children with him and go drag them all over the Australian outback, or whatever it is you people do."

They're distracted by Nikki motioning to Deaver to join in the dancing, and she switches partners. Geoff heads towards the ladies as the song changes. The air is a little tense, but he hints that he still feels like dancing, and Chase takes advantage of it. They head for the floor.

* * *

Stefan wakes up in a securely locked cage. He's in a cabin somewhere in the woods. The room has several cages in it; Richard Arquette is in one, and there's a terrified young stranger in another.

A guy who could easily audition for the role of "Unabomber" sits at a desk, making bullets ?

* * *

It's early morning in the woods. Stefan examines what's left of a mauled, half-eaten body. From the damage that's been done and the fact that it's a full moon tonight, he's got a pretty good idea what did it ?

Stefan spins around at a sound coming from the forest behind him, his hand going to the knife at his back. Richard Arquette emerges into the clearing. He's not in uniform, and he carries a flashlight. He looks at Stefan and down at the body. He freezes, looking at Stefan suspiciously. Stefan eases his hand back off his knife. Stefan tries to offer up a rather lame excuse about early morning exercise, which Richard obviously isn't buying.

There's a sudden growl coming from the brush nearby. Richard turns, aims, and fires. He misses and the animal runs. The two of them take off after it.

Stefan hears a soft rustle ? right after it's too late. With a swish of rope, he and Richard are both swept up into an old-fashioned net trap. The two guys crack skulls, which knocks Richard out cold. Stefan is still alert, but the ropes have something in them ? on them ? that's making him really ? really ? drowsy ?

* * *

So, yeah. Stefan wakes up in a securely locked cage.

As soon as he moves, the creepy mountain man points a gun at him. He says Stefan is awake early, even for a werewolf. Werewolf? Stefan tries to convince the crazy old man that he's most definitely not lycanthropic, but without success. The hunter tells him that one of the three of them is, and he is going to find out who. So he can skin the lucky one alive after they turn tonight.

Stefan's cell phone goes off merrily on the table. It starts the man into a full-blown tirade about newfangled monsters not knowing their place, taking advantage of human inventions ?

Stefan resigns himself to a long wait before the full moon rises.

* * *

Back at the party, Rive's had enough of the festivities and she, too, is getting worried about Stefan. She rounds up Nathaniel to do a sweep of last night's patrol routes. She lets Rachel and Deaver know where they're headed, reassures Rachel one more time, and they take off.

The cemeteries and campus routes yield no results, so they head for the woods. They find a single foot trail and track it deep into the trees, where they wind up in the clearing with the mauled body that Stefan and Richard had found earlier that day. Nathaniel examines the corpse, and determines that it appears to be a wolf, but a really, really big one.

Rive doesn't have a clue what to make of it, so she snaps a photo with her phone and sends it to Deaver (ain't technology grand?). He calls her back immediately with a single word: werewolf.

* * *

Mountain Man gears up to go make another round to check his monster traps. Stefan sits in his cage, utterly bored. His two co-prisoners are still out cold. As soon as their captor closes the door, Stefan takes the opportunity to break open the lock on his cage.

Climbing out, he quickly manages to smash open the other two locks as well. He gently smacks Richard around until he wakes up. The boy in the third cage is groggy, and his voice cracks with fear. His name is Bryant Thompson, he's 16, and he's a boy scout. He was camping in the woods alone, working on a survival merit badge.

The guys do a quick search of the cabin. Beyond the basic sleeping cot and cooking supplies, they find a slew of demon parts and a thick werewolf pelt in a closet, along with a ledger of dates and figures. They take it, Richard grabs his gun and his badge, and the trio leaves the cabin quickly before Ted the Hunter comes back.

Outside, they realize they're not really sure where McKennit is. Knowing they were heading west earlier, they check the sun, and start going east instead, hauling Bryant along with them.

* * *

After Rive's graphic phone message, the gang quickly excuses themselves from the party to go help with the search for Stefan. They end up taking Nikki with them. They meet up with Rive and Nathaniel at the clearing, and then start following the trail from there. They quickly arrive at a well-appointed cabin in the woods. The door is unlocked and there's no one home. Inside, the place has clearly been rifled and signs of the breakout are evident. Retracing their steps, they find a set of three footprints heading off in the muck, and take off after them, with their backs to the setting sun.

* * *

Still walking through the trees in the twilight, Stefan suddenly hits something immutable and invisible and ends up landing hard on his backside. Richard watches him tumble to the ground, moves to investigate, and ends up sitting right beside him.

They realize they hear singing. A... thing... hunched over large headed demonic looking thing... is coming their way. It wears robes and a big cross. And it's singing a hymn. And it's sticking a hand out, producing a shower of sparks out of thin air. "Sssssinful meat." And it walks with purpose towards them.

The moon clears the horizon ? and then Bryant starts shaking. Richard draws his gun, looking from one direction to another, and takes aim at Bryant, realizing he's the werewolf. Stefan stops him from shooting the kid, grabs Richard by the arm, and takes off with him through the forest, back towards the cabin.

They almost barrel straight into the other scoobies, who are still intently following the trail. Rachel throws herself at Stefan, hugging him fiercely, and there's a quick group reunion. It's eye-opening for Richard, who realizes that they all know what's going on in this town. Their conversation is cut short by the sounds of a huge wolf crashing through the trees behind them. Looking up, they see the ugly demon, who has sprouted wings, soaring over the trees and straight towards them. They turn and flee back towards the cabin. As they approach, Ted bursts out of the door, guns pulled, and aims them straight at were-Bryant as he bounds into the clearing. Everyone dives for cover, except Rive, who quickly disarms Ted. The wolf starts running after the first person he sees ? Rachel. She takes off into the woods with the wolf closing in behind her. Stefan immediately runs after them, with a silent Nathaniel in tow.

Rive leads Ted into the cabin at the point of his own gun, and everyone else tumbles in afterwards, seeking shelter from the flying demon thing.

The creature lands and shuffles to the door. Dropping back on his haunches, he folds his wings and looms just beyond the threshold of the cabin. He slowly surveys the group inside. "The Chosen." He examines each of them in turn, mumbling. He refers to himself as "The Saint," and the scoobies suddenly realize this is St. Saul. Seemingly done with them, St. Saul backs away from the cabin and takes back off into the air.

* * *

In the woods, Stefan and Nathaniel suddenly walk into a wall of mist, clearly Rachel's handiwork. The can hear the wolf somewhere nearby. Back to back, they slowly circle towards the edge of the cloud, listening ?

* * *

The tail end of a misty cloud leaves Rachel's fingers. Spinning around, she spies the entrance to a cave nearby. She ducks inside, and branches and vines cover the opening with a wave of her hand. She sits against the cave wall, breathing steadily. She turns her head and sees ? Gabe.

"Hey, Rach-" She high kicks up to the head. His head snaps back, and she punches, but he catches her hand.

"Hey! What did I do?"

"You're not Gabe."

"Who you trying to convince?"

Rachel draws a stake and lunges. Gabe dodges and she trips him. He lands hard on his back and she pounces.

"You should know, you were the last person I thought of before I died."

The stake freezes, raised to strike.

"The last thing I said was your name. And you know I'm telling the truth..." He fingers her blonde hair.

Rachel raises the stake again. "No, I put this down and you kill me."

"'Cause I've offered you so much damage so far."

"You're not-"

Gabe interrupts, and her sentence does a 180. "- too shy to finally ask you why you ran away."

Rachel freezes, confused. "Ran away?"

"That morning. I had the best night of my life. No shit. And then you... you ran away. What had I done?"

"You were talking to Lilith!"

Gabe raises up on his hands. "Which I shouldn't have done. But you didn't even know that at the time."

Rachel stands up. "I'm not doing this."

Gabe sits up and smiles at her. "Doing what?"

"Discussing our life with the demon that killed you!"

His smile gets colder. "Demon didn't kill me, Rachel. I killed myself. To save you."

Rachel drops the stake. Turning around she walks out, the branches parting in front of her.

As she turns the corner, Gabe wiggles a few fingers at her, and a thin mist seeps into her back. A half-dressed Trisha appears from the shadows. She drawls, "Well, if that wasn't damn lucky."

Gabe smiles up at her. "Yeah, since I've been with you guys, luck seems to be pouring my way. Let's get out of here before she decides to bring somebody back." Trish grabs a jacket off the floor, and they jet.

* * *

Rachel finds her friends in the clearing. Stefan is enormously relieved that she's unharmed. She's glad too, but very stressed about being late for her meeting, and about Gabe. She and Rive excuse themselves and take off for the Esbat. Richard is frustrated that he can't come up with a way to book Ted. The guy has been skinning people alive and they've got no evidence. Stefan takes the opportunity to slip inside and threaten Ted with all his strength and nasty temper, warning him that he'd better leave McKennit before Stefan sees him again.

Nikki has a few very unfriendly ideas on what they could do to Ted. Without her conscience, she's very creative. She stops sniffs the air. "I have to go." And she runs off into the forest.

Nathaniel has zero problems following her. Stefan muscles his way through what she finesses. Everyone else, well, attempts to move quickly through the forest in darkness.

They arrive in a large clearing, where Nikki sits on the ground, petting invisible things. "Hello puppies. Good puppies!" Looking around, they realize it's not a clearing. It's a burial ground. And there's a LOT of mounds. Some of them really old and a few more recent ones. No markers. Just mound after mound of upturned earth.

Richard whistles in awe. Looks like he's got his evidence after all ?

Nikki talks gently to her invisible friends. "We will take care of it, puppies. Now, you should go back into the earth. Something bad is about to happen."

* * *

Rachel smiles at Rowan as she and Rive enter the old stone house, and they kiss on each cheek. Rachel walks further into the room, greeting the women gathered there and Rowan watches her. Her smile dies, and she shoves Rachel into the empty stone fireplace Rowan cries out, "Tap water!"

And an explosion rocks the building.

* * *

In the woods, Trisha and Gabe smile at each other. Several other witches standing behind them applaud.

Trisha extends a hand to Gabe. "On behalf of the Daughters of Hecate, we accept your peace treaty."

* * *

At the burial mound, the scoobies feel the explosion almost before they hear it, and turn suddenly to see a column of fire in the sky ?